A Tall Glass of Trouble
by quiet-heart
Summary: After recent events in "What Child is This?" Dabi's in New Orleans, hoping to take a break and come to terms with things. All she wants is to have some fun and forget for a while, but when Pride asks her for help with a recent murder, Dabi learns that murder is still murder, even in the Big Easy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Fran Tucker was in Anchorage, Alaska. Three weeks after she'd last seen Damon Garth, Fran had been offered a position at the NCIS branch in Anchorage, thanks to some strings Gibbs had pulled. His reason being was that he knew Fran's ex-boyfriend had made a few threats towards the probie agent during his sentencing and had made it very plain that Fran would be in serious trouble the moment he got out of jail. Sending Fran to Alaska, where she could disappear if she needed to, was his way of protecting her, and perhaps giving her a real chance with a real guy.

Fran had agonized over the decision for two days before talking to Dabi about it.

"Go. I'll be okay. Damon seems like a really good guy and you have an incredible opportunity to expand your experience as an agent. As for us, there's text messages and e-mails and good old fashioned letters," Dabi assured her. "I promise you, you'll always be welcome here. Besides, it'll give me an excuse to come and see Alaska some time."

Damon was a good man, according to what he'd told Fran, who had told Dabi. He'd been born and raised in Pascagoula, Mississippi, an area that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. As a result of the aftermath, and with his home destroyed and family scattered, Damon had simply gotten on a fishing boat and gradually made his way up the coast to Alaska.

While there, one of his buddies, to quote Damon, got drunk and got stupid and when Damon tried to stop him, State Troopers wound up getting called in. While Damon was sitting in a jail cell, waiting to be released, Trooper John Keats came in and spoke to him at length. After some serious soul-searching, Damon decided to clean himself up and enroll in the nearest college that would help him become an Alaskan State Trooper. If he was going to try and help people, it would help a lot if he was doing it from the right side of the law.

Two weeks before Damon was due to graduate with honors, Keats was killed while enroute to a domestic disturbance. His car had slammed headfirst into a semi trailer that had lost control on the wet highways. It was in Keats' memory that Damon put his uniform on every day and continued to try and help people, the way Keats once helped him.

As for him and Fran, well, according to Gibbs, Damon was building a log cabin and was hoping to share it with someone some day.

Before Fran had landed in Anchorage, Dabi had sent Damon a message, letting him know Fran was on her way. Her message had included a warning.

"_Hurt her, and you'll be going on a hunting trip you'll never come back from._"

A week later, Dabi was in New Orleans. She had been invited by Dwayne Pride, and encouraged by her father, Gibbs. Badly needing a break from recent events at the bakery and in her life, she had agreed to go, but only for a few days.

That was how she wound up crashing on Pride's couch and commandeering his kitchen.

Chris LaSalle and Merri Brody walked into the headquarters, sniffing the air appreciatively.

"Something sure smells good," said Chris. "I know you can cook great, King, but I'll gladly take two servings of whatever it is you're baking."

"Not me, Dabi," said Pride, coming from the kitchen, a steaming muffin in one hand.

"Dabi, as in Dabi Moore-Gibbs?" Brody asked.

"One and the same. She's staying with me for a few days. Got something to show you," said Pride, gesturing towards the flatscreen. He hit a button and a video began playing. It was a fight between Dabi and some unknown assailant in what appeared to be a bakery. "This was taken about a month ago. The guy is a now-deceased Mexican hitman for a major Mexican drug cartel."

"Okay. Fight looks pretty serious," said Chris, wincing at some of Dabi's hits.

"It was. Dabi was protecting this pretty little lady, who's mother, Camila, had given birth to her prematurely then died near Dabi's bakery, trying to protect her daughter," said Pride, throwing up a picture of a baby girl, tucked snuggly in the arms of a dark-haired man, with a dark-haired woman who had her arms around both of them. "That's Sara Rivens, and her adoptive parents, Mary and Owen Rivens. Owen is Dabi's business partner and Mary owns her own construction company. They have an apartment next to Dabi's, above the bakery. The hitman tried to finish the job of killing Sara and, according to Gibbs, Dabi damn near finished him."

"She's a cutie," said Chris.

"She said she's killed before," said Brody, watching Dabi's face. "Has she?"

"I asked Gibbs that, and he said yes, she has. She apparently planted a knife in the base of a guy's head while in Hawaii, after being kidnapped by a very dangerous weapons dealer, who was going to sell her on the sex trade market as retribution for NCIS and Gibbs investigating him in L.A., which is where she was when the investigation started," said Pride. He huffed, then said, "Try saying that three times fast."

"Okay, so why is she here?" Chris asked.

"Apparently taking a break from everything. Her business is expanding, she has a new goddaughter, her best friend moved to Anchorage to further her career as an NCIS agent and get away from an ex-boyfriend who made some serious threats against her while in court for assault," said Pride. "According to Gibbs, Owen, Sharee, who is her grandmother, and Leo, her live-in boyfriend, Dabi's been under a lot of stress and it was decided she needed to get away and since she had fun the last time she was with us, she got booted our way."

"So what do we do?" Brody asked.

"Have fun. She's an excellent baker, a good shot with a gun and a rifle, and well-trained in kick boxing and Marine fighting," said Pride. "She loved it the last time she was down here. But she's going to need help coming to terms with the side that scares her, according to Leo; the side that comes out when she's in a fight like the one she was in. Gibbs said she doesn't remember much of the fight after throwing the first punch, only having the fog lift seconds after she placed the pastry knife to the guy's throat. The fight actually started in Sara's nursery, in the upstairs apartment, and that was a full three minutes before we see them on the bakery camera."

"Emotional shock," said Brody. "I've heard of Marines doing that in a fight, especially when it's a fight to the death. The conscious mind just shuts down as a way of protecting itself."

"So what do we do?" Chris asked.

"We help her work her way through it," said Pride. "Maybe do a few chat and chows."

"Or bake and blab, as the case may be," said Brody thoughtfully.

"Sounds like my belt's going to need loosening in the near future," said Chris, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"She's got a fresh batch of cranberry blueberry muffins with glazed lemon icing ready," said Pride.

"Mine!" Chris yelped, diving for the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dabi smiled when she saw Chris diving for the muffins on the cooling rack. "Help yourself," she said. "The icing might be a bit wet, but they're good to go."

"Nice to see you again," said Brody, smiling back and accepting the muffin Chris handed her.

"Same," Dabi replied.

"How long are you in town for?" Brody asked.

"Couple of days. Dwayne is letting me crash on the couch. How much did Dad tell you?" Dabi asked.

"What do you mean?" Brody asked.

"I know my dad. He's worried about me. That means he would have told you guys about the events surrounding my goddaughter, Sara, and her birth mother," said Dabi.

"He told us," said Pride. "That was a good fight." Both Brody and Chris nodded.

"Then you know I'm struggling with some minor memory loss in regards to the fight," said Dabi.

"Emotional shock," said Brody. "I've seen it a few times. It was a fight to the death, wasn't it?"

"If it came to that, yes," said Dabi.

"Your mind was protecting itself. It happens all the time. What matters is that you won," Brody assured her. "Sara is safe, and from the looks of it, very much loved."

"That she is," said Dabi, smiling. "She's starting to smile at people she knows now."

"Looks like she's going to be a regular heart-breaker," said Chris.

"That's what Owen figures, and he's already loading up on rifle and buckshot rounds," said Dabi, grinning.

"Dumb question; what's a pastry knife?" Chris asked.

"It's a long, slender knife we use for cutting finished cakes and pastries. The ones I keep at the bakery are made of high-quality stainless steel, usually about seventeen inches long, and very sharp," said Dabi. "There was one on the finishing counter that time. I don't remember grabbing it. I do remember using it on the guy's arm, as a permanent reminder of what would happen to him if he didn't convince Maria Ramirez that Camila and Sara were dead."

"Did it work?" Brody asked.

"I don't know," said Dabi. "Both he and Maria were found dead a few days later. Maria got the worst of it, from what I was told."

"Who's Maria Ramirez?" Chris asked.

"The bitch who hired the hitman to kill Camila and Sara," said Dabi. "You'll have to ask Dad for the details. I don't know and I'm not so sure I want to know."

Then Pride's phone rang. After talking to someone quietly, he glanced up at his team. "We have a call-out. Dead sailor in the bayou," he said.

"Have fun, guys," said Dabi. "If I go anywhere, I'll beep King."

"Good to know," said Chris.

Down at one of the local bayou fishing docks, Dr. Loretta Wade, Medical Examiner of Orleans Parish, was waiting for them. On the docks, in front of her was a water-logged dark-skinned male in jeans and shirt.

"What do you got for us, Loretta?" King asked.

"Meet Seaman Ryan Adders," said Loretta. "Can't quite give you the cause of death, but the broken bones in his face may be an indicator."

"Time of death?" Pride asked, watching as Chris snapped photographs.

"Liver temp says somewhere between ten and eleven last night, but these waters are cold," Loretta reminded him. "And his skin is telling me he's been in there for at least several hours, so that will affect things."

"Do the best you can."

"Always do."

Brody joined them. "Couple of local shrimpers found him. When the Coast Guard checked for identification, they found his wallet, called us."

"So no witnesses," said Pride.

"Maybe not, but there appears to be a receipt in his wallet. It's a bit wet, but maybe Sebastian can do something with it," said Brody, holding up an evidence bag. "Might tell us where he last was."

"Worth a try," said Chris.

"What about where he went in to the water?" Pride asked.

"If it was here, it would be hard to tell," said Chris, walking around. "No tracks and no cameras, but plenty of people, even at night."

"Water's moving pretty steadily. He could have been dumped further up," said Brody.

"Alright, start looking. Maybe we can figure out where he went in. If we know where he went in, we might be able to figure out where he came from," said Pride.

The search was exhausting but rewarding. About three miles up from the docks, they found a set of tracks leading to the water's edge from a back road.

"All dirt and dust from here," said Pride, studying the area.

"But a nice set of tire tracks and some boot prints," said Chris. "Looks like two, maybe three guys."

"Would take at least that many to move a dead body quickly," said Brody.

"Size ten, maybe eleven, boots and possibly one pair of runners," said Chris, snapping pictures. "Not seeing any signs of a fight or drag marks."

"Okay, well, that confirms the theory that Seaman Adders wasn't killed here," said Pride. "Now we just have to figure out where, why, and who."

Chris glanced at Brody and said, "This one's gonna be a long one."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

With little else to go on until Loretta and Sebastian worked their magic, the team headed back to Quarters to start digging into Seaman Adders life.

"No recent credit card transactions on the one card he does own," said Chris. "But there was a transaction at a bar called 'Joey's' at about eight-forty last night, then an ATM transaction that withdrew a hundred in cash. The ATM might have a camera."

"And the bar?" Pride asked.

"I'll call 'em," Chris said.

"Seaman Adders has a clean record," said Brody. "He's currently with the _USS Missouri, _an _Iowa-_class battleship, currently on liberty leave and resupply. His file says he's basically a good guy, aside from being involved in a minor altercation with Seaman Nick James a few weeks back."

"What happened?" Pride asked.

"Seems the two men are usually best buds but Seaman James was upset about something and was assaulting someone and Adders tried to stop him," said Brody, reading the file. Then her eyes went wide. "And James has been arrested for aggravated assault, which occurred at the same date as the altercation with Adders." She continued to read. "He beat the hell out of a David Gillespie, who was the boyfriend of James' young sister, Madigan. David, himself, was later charged with domestic assault against Madigan when it was discovered that David had been physically abusing her." Brody threw up a picture of David Gillespie and James on the screen.

"Big brother trying to protect his little sister and things got out hand," Chris guessed.

"That's what the statement from both James and Madigan are saying. David, of course, denied the whole thing and made a few comments suggesting an incestuous relationship between brother and sister, and Adders and a few other officers had to restrain James from attacking David again," said Brody.

"Don't blame him. Alright, bring him in. Maybe he knows something about last night," said Pride.

The bar, Joey's, agreed to send NCIS their video from last night and it was discovered that Seaman James was still on the _USS Missouri_, on restricted leave due to the earlier assault with Gillespie.

"And we have a whole ship-full of frisky young sailors to contend with," Brody groused, not looking forward to the idea of fending off sailors who hadn't seen a woman, who wasn't their shipmate, in months.

Then Dabi wandered in, bearing several bags of groceries. Chris's eyes went a little wide. He knew Dabi was pretty, but the last time he'd seen her, he hadn't paid much attention to her and earlier, she'd been wearing a full apron. This time, however, it was hard to miss. She was wearing black leggings with lace on the bottom, a black tank with lace racerback and a cute black and purple kitty on the front, and black flats with glow-in-the-dark skull and crossbones prints. Cute _Hello Kitty_ earrings dangled from her ears and matched her small purse, which was slung across her chest.

"I think there was an accident up on the corner," she said. "Looks like someone wasn't paying attention when I smiled at them."

Pride chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked. "Watcha got there?"

"Well, you promised to teach me how to make gumbo New Orleans-style and I promised to show you a few secrets from my bakery, so I figured I'd better grab a few things," said Dabi. "How's the case going?"

"We were just about to go have a chat with one of the victim's buddies, who's stuck on a ship because of an assault charge," said Pride.

Dabi glanced at Brody. "And you're not looking forward to that," she guessed.

"Nope," said Brody. "Young male seamen tend to be mouthy, arrogant, and usually have their brains in their pants during liberty leave."

"Been there, done that," said Dabi. "Once punched out a guy in Stillwater during summer vacation, for making a sexist joke in front of me. Then there was the time I took a silver serving platter to a senator's face after he grabbed my ass at a party with the Secretary of the Navy. What really pissed me off was that it was a good serving platter too, and the damn thing got dented, darn it."

Pride laughed, Chris cringed, and Brody smiled. "I like her," she said to the other two. "Can we bring her along?"

Pride tilted his head, toying with the idea. "What do you think?" he asked Dabi.

"Why not? Might be fun. Wouldn't be the first time I've helped with an investigation," said Dabi, shrugging. "Remind me to tell you about the time I got involved in a _Ghost Hunters_ investigation at Quantico a few months back."

"_Ghost Hunters_? That's the paranormal show, right?" Brody asked, following her to the kitchen.

"That was so much fun. And then we found a body hidden in the walls..."

Chris looked at Pride and asked, "Are you sure this is a good idea? If Gibbs finds out, there's gonna be six kinds of hell to pay."

"Only if he finds out, and I did promise to keep her safe."

"I'm not worried about her, not after what I saw on that bakery video. I'm worried about the other guy if she gets pissed off."

"Only if he has it coming, brother," Pride replied.

"And if he does?"

"That's what a black marker is for."

At the docks where the _USS Missouri_ was tied up, the group asked about the ship's commanding officer and was told Captain Steve Renard could be found on the bridge. As they made their way through the loading area, Dabi accidently dropped her sunglasses. When she bent over to pick them up, Pride heard a crashing noise.

Looking over, he discovered two young men in Navy uniforms looking a bit flustered. They had apparently crashed in to a pallet. He grinned at them.

"Down, boys, down. She's spoken for," he said. Dabi looked at him curiously. "Couple of guys watching the wrong thing."

She grinned and looked over at the sailors. "What? You never seen a girl bend over before?" she asked.

"Plenty of times, ma'am, but not with quite the nice view like yours," one replied, while the other's face turned scarlet.

Dabi grinned even wider. "Try kick boxing. It does wonders."

At the bridge, Pride introduced his team and explained the situation.

"I didn't know Adders personally, and I'm sorry to hear about his death," Renard said. "As for James, he should be around here somewhere, since he's on restricted leave."

"We'd like to talk to him and anyone who may have known Adders," said Pride. "Our initial findings suggest he may have been beaten to death and we want to know if anyone had a grudge against him or something."

"Fair enough. Adders usually worked the docks. Most of the people he knew would be down there. As for James, I'll have him report to you in the conference room, if you'd like."

"We appreciate that, Captain, but is it possible he's down at the docks with the rest of the crew, helping with the refuelling?" Pride asked.

"More than likely."

"Then we'll start there and go from there," said Pride.

Down at the docks, the interviews started. Unfortunately for Dabi and Brody, they caught the attention of two seamen.

And the comments started.

"A woman with a badge and a gun. My dream come true. Why don't we go somewhere private and you can frisk me? I'd be happy to show you what's in my pants if I can get into yours."

"Excuse me, are you wearing space pants? 'Cause your legs are out of this world, babe! I'd love to see more of them. Maybe we can play Sailor and Ship and you can ride me all night long."

"Uh-oh," said Pride, seeing the situation.

"Girl, you've got more curves than a back-country road!"

Pride watched as Dabi quickly sent Brody a text message before putting her phone away. When Brody's phone buzzed, she glanced at it, nodded, and put her phone back.

_One more bad line and I'm gonna swing_.

"Boys, be careful," Chris called, seeing the look on Brody's face. "They're getting mad."

Chief Petty Officer Seever, a veteran of the seas, started to approach the group but Pride shook his head. "Chief, they can take care of themselves," he said.

"You have a boyfriend? Call me when you want a MANfriend!" one of them was overheard saying to Dabi, in response to her comment about her having a boyfriend.

"Are you sure you're looking for Mr. Right and not Mr. Right Now?" the other young man said to Brody.

Dabi glanced at Brody, raising her eyebrows. "Care to join me?"

Brody smiled. "Sure."

Both women swung at the same time and both seamen found themselves tumbling off the dock and into the water.

"They didn't listen, did they?" Chris said, sighing heavily, watching as the young men surfaced, coughing and spluttering.

"They never do," Pride replied, listening to the whooping and laughter coming from the other seamen.

"How do we explain this to Gibbs?"

"We don't, not if we don't want two sailors with bullets in their asses."

"He would?"

"He would."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the two sailors were pulled out of the water, Chris and Pride joined Dabi and Brody.

"Let you bozos in on a little something; Dabi's dad, he's a federal agent. You better hope like hell he doesn't decide to nail your nuts to the dock after the way you just spoke to his daughter!" Chris grinned as he watched the two young men pale at the implied implications.

Chief Petty Officer Seever smiled at the two women. "Nice punch ladies. Couldn't have done it better myself." Then he glared at the two seamen. "Get showered and dried up, boys, and get yourselves back to work, double time!"

"Yes sir!"

A young man dressed in a Navy uniform approached them. With dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a somber attitude, he appeared to have something on his mind.

"I'm Seaman James. I understand you were looking for me?" he asked.

"That we are. I'm Agent Pride and these are Agents LaSalle and Brody. This is Dabi, a consultant," said Pride. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about Seaman Adders. I understand the two of you were buddies but got in to a minor dust up."

"That was my fault, sir. Ryan was trying to stop me from pounding my sister's boyfriend to death and he was right to do so. I was just so blind stinkin' mad I wasn't thinking straight," James admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

"You were trying to protect your sister," said Chris.

"Word is Ryan's dead," said James. "What happened?"

"We're not sure yet, but early indicators are suggesting he was beaten to death," said Pride.

"What can you tell us about him?" Brody asked.

"Just an all-around good guy," said James. "Tried to help people, had dreams of working at an outreach center for underprivileged and at-risk kids once he was done in the Navy, the sort of guy you could count on to watch your back but kick you in the ass if he felt you needed it."

"Do you know where he might have gone last night?" Brody asked.

"I got a text message from him about eight last night, saying he was stopping at a coffee shop on the way back, just to get the booze out of his system. That was the last time I heard from him," James admitted. "When I didn't see him in his bunk this morning, I got a real bad feeling. Looks like I was right."

"Do you know if he was with anyone, or if anyone might have wanted to hurt him?" Chris asked.

"Not to my knowledge. He was a great guy, but he was also real quiet. Tended to keep things to himself. I know he kept a journal in his locker; said the writing helped him think things through," James replied.

"One thing we noticed; someone withdrew a hundred in cash from his account last night, and there was a transaction at a bar called 'Joey's'. Can you think of why that might be?" Brody asked. "Maybe he was trying to help someone, or even maybe buy someone?"

"Help, more than likely. Buy, like a prostitute, not a chance. They were one of the ones he wanted to help," said James, very emphatically.

"Okay, Chris, you and Brody go check out Adders' locker. Dabi and I are going to go pay a visit to Loretta and Sebastian. Hopefully they'll have some more answers for us," said Pride.

"Got it. We'll meet you back at Headquarters," said Chris.

"Loretta, the Medical Examiner Leo and I met last time?" Dabi asked Pride as they made their way back to the cars.

"One and the same. Sebastian is our forensic specialist. He's a nice enough kid, just a bit cracked in a few places," said Pride.

"Sounds like a few people I know," Dabi grunted.

At the medical examiners' office, Loretta had preliminary results for them.

"He was beaten to death," said Loretta, pulling up x-rays on one of the main screens. "He's got broken bones in a dozen places, including his knuckles, but mostly his ribs and his face and head area."

"Broken knuckles. So he fought back," said Pride.

"From the looks of his knuckles, I'd say he broke someone's tooth," Loretta said.

"May I take a guess at something, ma'am?" Dabi asked politely, studying the x-rays.

"By all means, my dear," said Loretta.

"I've seen these types of breaks before," Dabi admitted. "Sat with Dr. Mallard a few times in an autopsy. One fellow was the victim of a gang beating and the weapon turned out to be a two-by-six from a nearby construction site the victim had been working at."

"And you think that's what was used on this poor fellow here?" Loretta asked, clearly impressed.

"Well, he's a big man. Say he was trying to defend someone, like his buddy, James, suggested, and someone jumps in the fight with a piece of wood. Things are going to get real ugly, real fast, especially if they think they're teaching him a lesson."

"A lesson that got out of hand," said Pride, nodding.

"And you would be right. Someone got their punches in, but the final blows were to the head with a large, flat object, made of wood," said Loretta, smiling. "I found slivers of wood in his head. Thanks to the water, though, no DNA evidence."

"Sebastian?" Pride asked.

The flushing young man stepped forward, shoving his glasses up his face. He glanced at Dabi, and Pride was sure they were going to have to get a fire extinguisher in there pretty quick.

"Um, I was um, I was able to dry out the paper you guys found in the victim's wallet," Sebastian stammered.

"And?" Pride asked.

Sebastian quickly tapped his tablet and an image came up on the screen. "I had to use different wavelengths of light to, umm, restore the umm, paper," he said. "But, but I got it. It looks like an ATM receipt."

"Right; different light colours have different wavelength spectrums, and different things can be seen under different spectrums, including ink," said Dabi. When Sebastian stared at her, eyes wide, she just grinned. "One of my best friends is a forensic specialist. I hang with her when I can."

"I think I'm in love," Sebastian moaned.

Pride looked at him with raised eyebrows and he quickly looked down at his tablet, his face flushing.

Dabi moved closer to the screen, studying the image. "Hundred from his checking account at about nine-twenty-three last night. Matches what you guys found in his account."

"I also found a, umm, a phone number on the back," Sebastian admitted, tapping his tablet and bring up what was the back of the receipt. A phone number was written across it.

"You match it to anybody?" Pride asked.

"A. Allen, but no address, just a P.O. box," Sebastian replied.

"Convenient," Pride said, scowling. He glanced at Dabi. "What are you thinking?"

Dabi blinked. "Well, by all accounts Seaman Adders was the kind of guy who wanted to help people. One of his last transactions was at a bar, and he was beaten to death, right? So I'm thinking what if he tried to help a prostitute? What if he gave her the money, not to buy her services, but to try and help her get out of the business?"

"And her pimp, or pimps, didn't care for that," said Pride, nodding and grinning. Yup, she was Gibbs' daughter all right.

"Dad's told me a few stories about that happening, where a pimp would rather beat or kill his girl than let her go to a better life," Dabi admitted. "He once investigated a Marine after he put this guy in hospital. Turned out he was protecting his pregnant wife from her former pimp. He loved the Marines, but he loved his wife and their baby more."

"What happened to him?" Sebastian asked, eyes wide.

"Guy was discharged and Mary, my contractor and my business partner's wife, needed muscle. He's now working on his contracting licence," Dabi said.

Pride chuckled. "Nice. So you think the same thing happened here?"

"I do. Seems to me the next logical step is to check out Joey's," said Dabi. "What's the legal age for a drink around here?"

"Twenty-one, if you're on your own," said Pride. "If you have someone with you who's over the age of twenty-one, and you're under the age of twenty-one but over the age of eighteen, most places will allow you to have a drink, as long as you stay with the older person."

"Okay, so if need be, I can go with you guys to this bar?" Dabi asked.

"If need be, yes," said Pride.

"Good. What the hell is a screwdriver, aside from a tool?" Dabi asked. "The only drinks I've ever had are Dad's bourbon."

Sebastian's eyes went wide and Loretta laughed. "My dear, we have a few things to teach you before you leave," she said.

"Why not? King's already promised to teach me how to make gumbo, and I want at least one recipe to add to the bakery, one that's guaranteed New Orleans flavor," said Dabi.

"Oh, I can think of a few recipes to show you," said Loretta, nodding.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The trip to Joey's wound up getting canceled when it was discovered the video from the bar had been sent over and both Brody and Chris were studying it.

"That's Adders," said Chris. "Looks like he's trying to grab a girl and she's not too happy with him. Can't make out what's being said though."

Dabi watched the video with a critical eye. "He's trying to help her. He knows she's afraid of someone but he wants to help her. She's trying to tell him that he can't help her but he's saying he can get her out of there and some place safe."

"Really?" Chris asked, curious. "How can you tell?"

"Look at the way he has his hands. They're up, fingers spread, almost palm down, like he's trying to calm her down. I've seen my dad do that a few times when he's trying to calm someone down. Here, he doesn't grab her hard, but he does have a grip on her under her elbow, like he's trying to stop her without hurting her. She wants to believe him. See the hesitation in her steps and her movements there? It's like she's torn between what she wants and what she knows could happen," Dabi explained, mimicking the movements. "And there's the knuckle to the lips. That's indecision." She gestured at the screen. "There. He's putting the money in her purse. He's trying to help her."

"What about the way she's looking around?" Chris asked.

"She thinks someone's watching, maybe her pimp," said Dabi. The action moved off-camera but a moment later, the girl runs by, panic and fear on her young face. "She saw what happened and she ran for it. My guess is she's in hiding now."

"She looks young, like you," said Brody.

"Another lost girl caught in a real ugly mess," said Pride. "We'd better find her before they do, whoever they are."

Then Pride's phone rang. It was the New Orleans police department and they had someone who was refusing to leave the station until someone from NCIS arrived. Apparently this girl, for it was a girl, knew something about a recent possible murder and was terrified for her life.

"Looks like she found us," said Pride, hanging up. "Go get her, bring her here."

"I have an idea," Dabi offered. "It looks like she's about my age. Instead of putting her in the interrogation room, why not put her in the kitchen? She might feel safer if I'm there, especially if I'm doing some more baking."

"Bake and blab," said Brody, grinning. "I like that idea."

"And so does my stomach," said Chris, also grinning.

"Do it," said Pride, smiling.

Dabi headed for the kitchen and Chris and Brody headed for the NOPD building.

As Dabi gathered her ingredients, Pride watched. "What are you going to make?" he asked.

"Thought I'd start with challah; it's a Jewish bread recipe Pop-Pop taught me that was passed down through his family. It takes about two hours to rise, so while that's rising, I can do some buttermilk biscuits with raisins. That's a recipe Grandma Joann taught me when she came to meet me just after Dad and I found each other."

"Grandma Joann?"

"Joann Fielding; Shannon's mom, Dad's first wife," Dabi explained.

Pride thought for a moment, trying to recall what he knew about Gibbs' wives. "I thought that was Stephanie?"

"No, she was wife number two. Shannon was wife number one, and they had a daughter, Kelly. Dad doesn't like to talk about them very often because they were both murdered by some guy with the Mexican cartel after Shannon had agreed to testify against him after witnessing him murder a Marine," Dabi explained. "Kelly was eight at the time and Dad was in Iraq when it happened."

Pride winced. "And the bastard who murdered them?"

"He has his own room in Hell, if I understand correctly."

Pride nodded. That fit in with what he knew about Gibbs.

The girl, Kate Hart, was about eighteen, skinny as a rail, and dressed in scruffy jeans, runners, and an oversized sweatshirt, with her brown hair in a ball cap. She kept her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes constantly darted around the room as Chris and Brody lead her through the building.

"Have a seat," Dabi offered, starting to work the challah bread.

"I thought I was going to the interrogation room," Kate said, sitting down at the counter cautiously.

"This is much better," said Pride, pouring a cup of coffee. "Coffee or tea?" he asked.

"Tea, if you don't mind," Kate replied hesitantly.

"You like honey or milk in it?"

"Honey," Kate said. When Pride handed her the mug, she wrapped her hands around it. "So I guess you wanna know about what happened to Ryan Adders," she said.

Pride started work on some New Orleans-style chicken, knowing people tended to think better on a full stomach, and besides, it was almost supper time anyway.

"We know he was beaten to death," said Brody, joining them. "We know he was trying to protect you and that he gave you money without expecting services."

Kate nodded. "I've been too afraid to touch it. Feels like blood money." She watched Dabi knead the bread. "How do you do that?" she asked.

"Been doing it for a long time. My grandpa, Pop-Pop, taught me this particular recipe when about fifteen," Dabi explained. "It's a Jewish bread called challah and it's been handed down through his family. Once I'm done kneading it, it has to rise for about two hours. While it does that, I'll start on some buttermilk biscuits with raisins." She smiled sadly. "Pop-Pop died of a heart attack earlier this year and I miss him, but this is my way of remembering him."

"What about your mom and dad?" Kate asked.

"I lost my mom to a drunk driver when I was eleven. Nana and Pop-Pop practically raised me, even though they have no actual relation to me. Mom was a worker at their bakery and she lived with them while she was pregnant with me. Then, after I was born, we stayed with them. Until I was eighteen, that was all I knew," Dabi explained. "Then I met Dad over the body of a dead Navy officer and my best friend, Abby, ran a DNA test through the CODIS system and realized I was a match to Dad, who's also an NCIS agent."

"Yikes," said Kate.

"Yeah. After Pop-Pop died, I inherited his half of the bakery, and then Nana decided to retire, and she turned over the business to me completely," said Dabi.

"You own your own bakery?" Kate asked, eyes wide.

"I have a business partner, Owen, that my boyfriend, Leo, introduced me to. Owen's a former Navy officer with PTSD. He's a good guy." She looked at Kate. "So. You wanna tell us what happened?"

"Ryan knew I worked at this bar, Joey's. He gave me money, told me I could go with him and be safe. That I didn't have to stay there," Kate admitted, looking down as memories flooded her. "But I was afraid of Jack and his guys. The other girls have a story about a girl who tried to run. They found her body, half-eaten by gators, a few days later. Plus, there was another girl who tried to rat them out. Jake said she got eaten by rats as punishment."

"Good reason to be afraid," said Dabi. Chris, Pride, and Brody had backed off, sensing a rapport developing between the two girls. "Was it Jack that beat Adders to death?"

Kate nodded. "I saw them coming and Ryan tried to confront them and I hid. I think they know that I know because I've gotten a few text messages from Jake, demanding to know where I am."

"Have you answered?" Dabi asked.

Kate shook her head. "I've mostly kept my phone off in case they try to track me with a GPS thingie, like they've threatened to if we ever try to run."

"Smart. Do you know if they used a weapon against Adders?" Dabi asked, testing her.

Kate nodded. "A piece of wood, a big one. One of the guys, this big football player-type guy, used it on Ryan's head. I saw him toss it in a dumpster, but I grabbed it afterwards."

"Why?"

"Because Ryan tried to do right by me and no one's ever done that before. So I'm trying to do right by him."

"Where's the wood now?"

"I hid it in a plastic garbage bag in the back room of the bar, with a bunch of other junk," said Kate. "The owner, Jacob, he gets paid to turn a blind eye to us." She looked at Pride, who was coming back from popping some chicken on the barbeque out on the patio. "Are you gonna get them?"

"We're going to do our best," Pride said. "If you can give us some names and faces, we'll go from there."

"I'll give you everything I've got, if you promise me Ryan will get his justice."

"That I can promise," Pride said.

Kate nodded, satisfied. Then she tilted her head, seeing something in the patio.

"What's up?" Chris asked, seeing the motion.

"I thought I saw something," said Kate, sliding off her seat and heading for the patio.

She got down on her knees and started wiggling in the underbush. A moment later she crawled back out, cradling a tiny, scruffy-looking kitten that wasn't much bigger than her hands. It was shivering and sniffing the air at the same time. Multi-coloured, it had one patch of white on its' eye, giving it a reverse-pirate look.

"Aren't you a pretty little baby?" Kate crooned. "You must be hungry." She looked up at the agents hopefully.

"I think I have something in the fridge," said Pride.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"So I'm sitting at my desk when all of a sudden the Admiral lands square on my shoulders. I yell, because he's digging his claws in to my skin, he takes off running, I get out of the office in time to see one of my guys going up and coming down with a bunch of metal mixing bowls, and someone else go flying with several dozen eggs. Then the Admiral hits an open sack of flour, that goes all over the place. Poor thing, the floors are smooth and he's got furry feet, so he's slipping and sliding everywhere in blind panic and there's a lot of noise and yelling. That sets off Rocky, who makes a dive at Leo, who's just coming in the door with an armload of groceries, one of which is milk. That lands and explodes right next to Leo's head (good thing it missed him, it was a four litre), just as Owen comes down the stairs, wearing nothing but a towel. The Admiral makes a dive at him, misses, catches his towel and poor Owen nearly exposed himself to the whole bakery staff," Dabi recalled, laughing.

Kate was howling with laughter, tears rolling down her face, as she held her ribs. "I haven't laughed this hard in a long time and I hope I never do again! It hurts!" she cried. "What set the Admiral off in the first place?"

"Would you believe Mary? She forgot to warn us she was temporarily shutting off the hot water to do some minor repairs and Owen went to have a shower. When he got hit with ice water instead, he yelled," Dabi explained, grinning. "Mary 'made it up' to him; it took him two hours to come back down stairs with his dignity in place but he had a real satisfied grin when he did."

"Oh I'll bet he did!" Kate cackled.

At their desks, Chris, Brody, and Pride were pouring over the information Kate had given them. For a teenage girl, she knew enough to bring down a lot of people. Then Chris got a phone call from someone at NOPD.

He hung up when he completed the call. "That was Detective Elroy David, from Vice. Seems our poking around has made some people nervous," he said. "He wanted to know our interest and I explained about the murder. Seems Vice is investigating that ring and they're after the head boys."

"Okay, are we going to step on any toes with our investigation?" Pride asked.

"Not really, not if we give 'em the info we just got. This Jake Ambrose guy? He's a low-level player and Vice says if we want him, we can have him, but leave the ring to them. They have a guy on the inside and warned me about blowing his cover," Chris explained.

"Fair enough. Anything we find, they get," Pride said.

"He also said if we go undercover to get Jake, try and keep their guy from getting caught in the mess," said Chris.

"We may have to," said Brody. "We don't have any actual evidence connecting Jake to Adder's murder."

"But if we can find the undercover, he might be able to help us," Chris suggested. "Detective David promised to e-mail me a photo of him. We just need someone to make contact with him."

The group shared a look and then looked towards the kitchen.

"Gibbs is going to kill us," said Brody.

"It's called a black marker," said Chris.

"Kate, what are the chances of someone like Dabi getting picked up by someone like Jake?" Pride called.

"Very good. She's about my age, pretty, and with her red hair, she'd be a real man-grabber," said Kate, coming in to the bullpen, with the kitten she'd named Patches, around her neck.

"So what would she have to do to get his attention?" Brody asked.

"Just show up in something innocently sexy and pretend she doesn't know the area and doesn't have a job," Kate said. "That was how he got me." She scowled at the memory.

"And I just got the guy's picture," said Chris, checking his e-mail then throwing a picture up on the plasma screen.

Pride went to Dabi and explained the situation. "What do you think?"

"And the fact that I can't wear an earwig? Don't you think that might be a problem?" she asked sarcastically.

"We'll have eyes on you the whole time," Pride promised. He lead her to the plasma screens. "This is the guy we're after. NOPD has an undercover there and that's him. We don't have enough evidence to go after Jake and his buddies yet, but we're hoping that if you make contact with the undercover, we can get that evidence."

Dabi bit her lip. Part of her wanted to dive head-first in to it but part of her urged caution. She wasn't a trained operative, just a baker. And her dad would kill her...

"Fine. But I reserve the right to defend myself if I think things are getting ugly," she said.

"Fair enough," Pride said. "Just don't tell your father, or we're all dead."

"I won't tell if you won't tell."

And that was how Dabi wound up wearing a dark purple sleeveless crop top, black lace shrug with angel sleeves, curve-hugging jeans, and black pumps and wandering in to Joey's at eight o'clock at night. She had a recorder tucked in her bra and a GPS in her watch.

Wandering in to the bar, she sat down at the counter and ordered a Coke and rum. When the bartender asked for her identification, she provided the fake one that had been made up for her. Then she waited, ignoring the fact that Chris had just wandered in to the bar and was sitting a few tables behind her.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Brody asked. "I have no doubt Dabi can take care of herself, but this could get real ugly, real fast." She and Pride were in the SUV, and all three were hooked up with radios.

"I have eyes on her," Chris promised. "It's just like we talked about." Then he spotted something. "And things are about to get interesting. J-boy just made an entrance and he's looking at Red."

Dabi spotted Jake Ambrose as well and offered him a shy smile. He took the bait and wandered over to her.

"Hi," he said. He stood at about six feet tall, brown hair, fair skin, and a neat but casual appearance.

Remembering how she'd felt the first time Leo had kissed her brought a blush to Dabi's face, along with a shy smile. "Hi," she said huskily.

"I'm Jake. I don't think I've seen you here before."

"Danielle," she said. "I'm kinda new in town."

"Yeah? Anyone with you?"

"Not really," Dabi said. "Thought I'd check out the nightlife, maybe make a few friends."

"Well, I'd love to be your friend," Jake said.

"Yeah?" And Dabi offered him a sexy smile. "I'd like that too."

"You know, you're real pretty, especially with your red hair."

"All natural, sugar, all." And Dabi gave him a suggestive smile she usually reserved for Leo when she was about to jump him. It was a smile that usually got him very hot and bothered and seemed to have a similar effect on Jake, or at least that's what she hoped.

"Really? I wouldn't mind checking that out myself," said Jake.

"My place or yours?" she asked. "I'm staying at a hotel for now, if you wanna play."

"Sounds like fun to me," said Jake.

"Hook, line, sinker, but no sign of the other guy," said Chris softly. "They're on the move."

As they exited the bar and began heading down the street, Brody and Pride followed them discreetly, until they were near a hotel. Then Brody and Pride jumped them.

"Jake Ambrose, we need to have a chat," said Pride, aiming his weapon at the man.

Dabi shrieked. As per earlier agreement, as a means of protecting her, she took off running down the street. She was not even half-way down the block when someone grabbed her.

Her instincts took over and she swung.

"Let me go!" she yelled. She didn't hear the grunt of pain as her fist connected with someone's face. Whoever it was, he had a strong grip on her and even a kick to his knees didn't work. That someone was rapidly dragging her into a darkened alleyway, hand clamped over her mouth, and lifting her up off her feet, and Dabi knew she was in serious trouble. She could only pray that the others knew this as well.

Once they were half-way down the alley, the man let her go and spun her around, aiming a flashlight at her face. Now missing her shoes, she spun and brought her hands up in fight position.

"Easy!" the man snapped.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Chris snapped. He had his gun out and aimed at the newcomer. "NCIS. Step away from her now."

"Wait, that's the guy Vice warned us about," said Dabi, seeing the man's face.

"Why is NCIS going after Jake?" the man asked. He was fit in appearance, wearing jeans and a nice shirt, and had light brown hair.

_Easy on the eyes_, Dabi thought.

"We have a witness that says he killed a Navy officer," said Chris. Lowering his weapon, he brought out his cell phone and showed the man a file photo of Adders.

"Damn. I recognize him. Heard Jake and a few of his buddies bragging about teaching some black dude a lesson on stealing girls," the man said.

"We're not interested in the big players; that's your ball. We just want Jake and the guys that joined the club," said Chris.

"Do you know Kate?" Dabi asked.

"Pretty girl, eighteen, brown hair? Yeah, I know her."

"Adders tried to save her," Chris said. "Think you can help us make her disappear?"

The man nodded. "Homicide should be able to falsify a report. Bodies turn up in the bayous all the time."

"That they do," said Chris. "We need evidence against Jake that ties him to the murder."

The man nodded. "It might take me a day or two, but I think I can get it, especially if I can convince the Big Guy to throw the bastard to the wolves."

"Sounds good. Pass it to Vice and we'll make sure we get it from them," Chris said.

"I can do that. In the mean time, darling?" the man said, turning to Dabi.

"Yeah?"

"Care to help protect my cover?"

"How?"

Chris grinned. "Lipstick on the neck and a belt across the head?" he suggested.

"That works, but damn it's going to smart," the man groused.

"Undo your pants," Dabi suggested. As he did so, she nibbled at his neck, prayed Leo never found out, then gave him a resounding smooch, just before Chris hit him across the back of the head with a garbage can lid. He went down without a sound and both Dabi and Chris ran.

"If Dad or Leo hears about this..." she hissed to Chris.

"My lips are sealed," he promised.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 8

"So you like young girls, huh?" Brody asked, arms folded across her chest as she wandered around the table, looking at Jake with contempt. "You like smacking then around, huh?"

"I'm not saying anything without my lawyer," Jake grumbled.

"That's okay," said Brody. "You can call yours, but we all know that you have a bigger boss, and rumor has it he's not going to be too happy with you when he finds out you're a suspect in the killing of a Navy officer."

"I didn't kill no Navy officer!" Jake yelped.

"No? How about a black man you thought was stealing one of your girls?" Brody shot back. "You remember this guy?" She leaned in close, invading Jake's personal space, and slapped a photograph of Adders down on the table, taken just after he'd been pulled from the water. Then she slapped his Navy file photo down on top of it. "He was a Navy officer just trying to protect a young girl, a guy you and your buddies beat to death!"

"You can't prove that!" Jake snapped.

"Really? I have a witness who saw you and that witness named names. We've got you, we're going to get your buddies, and you are all going to go to jail for murdering a United States Navy officer. Tell you right now, things are not going to be fun for you in prison, especially when the local population finds out about what you do for a not-so-honest living," said Brody. And with that, she walked out of the room.

Behind the glass, Pride and Chris watched, and Brody joined them.

"He's got a few bruises on his chest," said Brody.

"Yeah?" Chris asked.

"The way he's holding himself," Brody explained. "Same way you were last week when that guy body-slammed you out the door."

"You're not gonna let me forget that, are you?" Chris asked.

"Nope, especially not when you two landed in a nice, big mud puddle and the guy decided he was going to wrestle. Now that was funny."

"I'm sure it was," Chris groused.

Pride chuckled. "Let him call his lawyer then cut him loose. Let's see what happens with Vice."

"Plus there's that wood that Kate said she hid in the back area of the bar," Chris reminded them.

"Right. I'll grab that tonight and get that over to Sebastian. The bartender hasn't seen me yet, and from what Kate is telling us, getting in and out shouldn't be too much of a problem," said Pride.

The next morning, Dabi received a text message from Owen.

"My mom's dad died earlier this month; pneumonia finally caught up to him," Dabi explained. "I saw him just before he died and he wasn't looking too good. Still thought I was my mom, and he said something about making sure I'd be taken care of. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it seems he was serious. Owen says a guy from an insurance company stopped by the bakery, looking for my mom, and was told she'd died some years back. When he was told about me, and where I was, he advised Owen to get in touch with me and have me go to their office in New Orleans."

"Wow," said Brody. "Because you're your mom's heir, anything related to insurance policies would automatically go to you. Do you know how much?"

"The guy wasn't at liberty to discuss it with Owen, but did admit (when Owen showed him that he was my business partner) that it was a substantial amount and that Grandpa Matt had been steadily paying the policy for years, even when there was no need to," Dabi said. She showed the gathered group the address.

"I can take you there," Pride offered. "We'll stop and get some coffee on the way."

"Sounds good to me," said Dabi.

"In the mean time, I just heard from the guys in Vice. Seems the head honcho, Sergeant Newbury, is very interested in what Kate had to say and is willing to offer her witness protection in exchange for her testimony," said Chris.

"You interested?" Pride asked Kate. The girl had spent the night with Dabi and Pride, with Patches cuddled up to her.

"Only if I can take Patches with me," said Kate. Patches was back in her spot around Kate's neck, and Kate was wearing some clean, borrowed, clothes from Dabi.

Feline and human had latched on to each other, both needing one another. Kate needed someone (or something) to care for and love, and Patches needed a safe place and a human who would care for her.

"I'm sure they can work something out," said Chris, grinning. "I'll call the sergeant back and let him know we have a deal, as long as your little buddy goes with you."

Half an hour later, Dabi was still trying to get her jaw up off the floor. Grandpa Matt's life insurance policy had netted Dabi a sweet fifty grand. Pride had taken Dabi to a branch of her bank and, after a word with one of the bankers, gotten the check deposited with no problems.

Some of it would be put aside for Sara's college education, and some of it would go to the bakery staff, for a morale-boosting party. Some of it would go towards savings, especially the bakery emergency funds account, and some towards paying off the loan Kranz Bakery had taken out in order to expand the bakery.

After talking things over with Pride, Dabi withdrew a grand in cash. The plan was to give it to Kate, as part of her Start-Over package.

Sebastian had the wood and had some results, which he gave over the internet.

"_So, uh, the wood, just ordinary lumber stuff, nothing special, you know? Hardware store stuff. I managed to find traces of Seaman Adder's blood and hair in it, so confirmed murder weapon_," Sebastian said.

"_It matches the marks I found on his head,_" said Loretta.

"Okay, any prints, anything like that that might give us a suspect?" Chris asked.

"_Wood is lousy for getting prints off, especially lumber, but I did find blood on one end that wasn't a match to Seaman Adders,_" Sebastian admitted. "_Still running it through CODIS, though. How's uh, how's Dabi doing?_" he asked, shoving his glasses up his face.

Both Brody and Chris grinned. "She's doing good. She's out right now with King, though," Brody said.

"_Tell her I, uh, I said 'hi'_," said Sebastian.

"Will do. Let us know if you get a hit with CODIS. We've got some suspects but we need evidence," said Chris, before signing off.

"He's got it bad," said Brody, grinning.

"She seems almost unreal," said Kate, joining them.

"You mean Dabi?" Brody asked. Kate nodded. "It does sort of seem that way, doesn't it? I mean, she has her own bakery, she's got a guy who's crazy about her, a large family... But did you know that came at a cost?"

Kate shook her head.

"From what Gibbs, her dad, told us, after she lost her grandpa, she had to grow up real fast," said Chris. "But apparently that wasn't the tipping point. Seems she ran in to some real bad trouble when she was kidnapped in Los Angeles and brought to Hawaii."

"She lost her memory for a time and was forced to kill a guy in order to escape a guy who was going to sell her on the sex slave market as retribution for NCIS investigating him," Brody continued.

"Seems Leo, her boyfriend, saved her, both physically and spiritually," said Chris. "Her dad says they nearly lost her that year, especially after her ex-boyfriend dumped her just after her grandfather died."

Kate winced. "Jerk."

"She's a good person, but she's had to take on a lot at a young age. That makes her seem tougher than she really is. Gibbs thinks that sometimes she forgets to be a teenager and cut loose every now and then," said Brody.

"That would be kinda hard to do with all that responsibility on her shoulders," said Kate.

"And with two members of her family being federal agents..." said Chris. "She knows how to shoot, how to fight, and how to walk softly. Seems she's scared the hell out of an agent of her dad's a few times. Hot coffee and a guy's crotch?" Chris clicked his tongue. "Not a good match."

There was a knock at the main door and Kate, cuddling Patches close to her chest, dived for the back rooms.

It was Sergeant Newbury and District Attorney Sharon Van Hinkle, there to meet Kate. When they were shown the evidence that Kate had given them, including the murder weapon, Van Hinkle studied the young prostitute.

"I'm prepared to offer you witness protection in exchange for your testimony," she said.

"Where would I go?" Kate asked.

"Wherever you want," said Newbury.

"What about Washington, D.C.?" Kate asked. "I know someone and her dad's a fed and so is her uncle. They can be trusted."

"We can do that," said Newbury.

"Can I take my baby with me?" Kate asked.

"Your ba-ya-hoo-hoo-hooo!" Newbury suddenly yelped as Patches started climbing up his pant legs, narrowly missing his crotch.

"Her baby," said Chris, a smirk on his face, watching as Kate rescued the police sergeant and the kitten from each other. "That's Patches, and where Kate goes, Patches goes."

"Fair enough," said Van Hinkle. "We can arrange something. Who's the federal agent?"

"That would be Leroy Gibbs, NCIS, who's the daddy of Dabi Moore-Gibbs," said Chris, throwing Gibbs' file on the screen. "Her uncle is Tobias Fornell, FBI. Both are based in Washington, D.C., and both are good people. Gibbs worked with King when they were both still probies at one point, so you can imagine what his daughter's like."

"Yeah? Where is she?" Newbury asked.

"Right here," Dabi suddenly whispered in Newbury's ear.

Newbury yelled and jumped about a foot. Dabi grinned and looked up at the building ceiling.

"Dang, King, I think this guy just gave you a new skylight," she quipped.

King shrugged. "Always wanted one. Now I just have to call in a contractor to finish the work."

"Daddy's girl," said Brody, smirking. She'd been on the receiving end of Gibbs' silent walk on more than one occasion and it was nice to see someone else get the wrong end of it.

Newbury glared at the group. "Real funny," he snarked.

"Yup. Just be thankful I didn't decide to give you a wedgie special the way I did to one of my dad's agents," Dabi said sweetly. "Took the girl he was seeing at the time about a week to stop laughing over the fabric burn on his crack."

Kate started laughing, Brody snorted with laughter at the mental image, Chris looked at her with wide eyes, not sure whether to laugh or run, in case Dabi decided to do something similar to him, and Pride cringed and laughed at the same time.

"Of course, he had a real itchy problem after I put itching powder in his underwear drawer. That was a year ago and he still hasn't forgiven me for that. I wonder why," Dabi said, pouting.

"That does it! You are not going near my place!" Chris yelped. "I don't trust you not to do the same to me!"

"Don't tempt me," said Dabi, smiling evilly.

"That's why I want to go to Washington," said Kate eagerly, cuddling Patches close. "I would be safe there and no one would think to look for me there. And no one would dare go after me and risk pissing Dabi off."

"And with federal agents close by, no one would be stupid enough to try something," Pride suggested.

Newbury and Van Hinkle looked at each other and Van Hinkle nodded.

"You follow the rules of the program and agree to testify against the ring, we'll get you to Washington," she said. "Start thinking about a new first name you can live with."

"Yay!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Things got quiet for a bit after that, as paperwork was filed. Then Chris got a phone call from Vice. When he hung up, he had a wide grin on his face.

"Seems the undercover came through. NOPD just had a guy dumped on their doorstep and he looks like he just got put through the ringer," Chris explained. "From the description, it's Jake Ambrose, and it seems he wants to talk in exchange for a deal."

"My kind of deal," said Pride.

"They're bringing him here," said Chris.

"That means we need to get Kate out of here," said Brody.

The two girls were in the kitchen and the sounds of giggling could be heard. Pride, Chris, and Brody joined them.

"Dabi, I know you can handle yourself," said Pride.

"And?" Dabi asked.

"One of our suspects is on the way here and he's willing to talk," Pride explained. "That means I need you to get Kate out of here and keep her safe."

"I can do that," said Dabi. She glanced at Kate. "We're going shopping. A public place is safer, so start thinking about what you want and need. It's on me."

"Maybe a bed basket and a blanket for Patches?" Kate suggested. "She gets cold at night."

"Why not throw in a heating pad for her while you're at it?" Chris asked sarcastically.

"That's a good idea!" said Kate eagerly.

"Open mouth, insert foot," said Brody, grinning at Chris' expression.

"You spoil that cat rotten," said Chris.

"She's just a baby, leave her alone!" Kate shot back.

"Gladly, if she'd leave my ankles alone!" Chris countered.

Pride laughed. Then he handed them what looked like black watches. "These are special locator watches. You press this button here and it'll get you straight to one of us. Plus, it has a built-in GPS tracking that will tell us exactly where you are in real time and where you've been, and is also tamper-resistant, so no matter what happens to either of you, if someone tries to cut this off, we're going to know about it."

Both girls quickly strapped the watches on and Pride screwed them in place with the special lock key.

"After this, Dad might be tempted to use one on me," Dabi admitted.

Pride grinned. "Now, go have some fun. I'll text you when it's safe to come back."

"Take care of my baby," said Kate.

When NOPD officers arrived with a sullen Jake Ambrose, he was escorted to the interrogation room. Someone had beaten him, badly, and he was limping.

"What happened to you?" Brody asked, Patches wrapped around her shoulders.

"Boss wasn't too happy with me about the murder," Jake mumbled.

"Really? No surprise there," Brody said sarcastically. "We found the murder weapon. We have a witness. Talk, now, or no deal."

Jake talked. NCIS and Dabi had been right; Adders had been beaten to teach him a lesson about stealing girls, except one of the guys had over-done it with the wood and Adders had died as a result. They had dumped his body in the bayou to destroy any physical evidence, but Adders had left his mark on one of the other guys, breaking his tooth.

As for the prostitution ring, yes, Kate was one of the girls, one of several, and yes, the stories about the rat-out girl getting eaten by rats was true. He even remembered her name.

"Stupid bitch thought she could go running to the cops and us not finding out about it," Jake groused. "Once you're in, you're in, and the only way out is death for those whores."

Brody was tempted to hit him, but then Patches jumped down from her shoulders and landed on the table. She then proceeded to walk on tip-toe, back arched, fur and tail straight up, ears back, towards Jake.

"What's your problem, furball?" Jake snarled.

Patches hissed and swiped one paw at him, claws extended. Her claws, little as they were, managed to catch Jake across the back of his hand, and he yelped.

"You have a real way with women, don't you?" Brody asked, smirking. She shoved a legal pad and pen towards him, while scooping up the kitten. "Write it down. All of it, and I might consider getting you an alcohol swab for your boo-boo."

Behind the glass window, Chris said to Pride, "Please tell me we got that on video. That was a classic."

Pride glanced at the upper corner of the interrogation room, grinning. "We got it."

"I want a copy."

"You know where to find it."

Ten minutes later, after being formally charged with murder, Jake was turned back over to NOPD.

Then the computers started beeping frantically. It was the emergency signal from Kate's watch.

Chris dived for his computer and pulled up the GPS map.

"Royal Street!" he snapped. "Both girls are in the same area!"

"Get on the horn and get some people down there!" Pride snapped to one of the officers. "We've got two girls in trouble, one with red hair. Go!"

Grabbing their guns, the NCIS team tore out of the building. Chris had transferred the GPS co-ordinates to his phone and that would hopefully lead them to Dabi and Kate before it was too late.

Dabi and Kate were in wandering down Royal Street, checking out the stores and the sights. For all the world they looked like two giggling teenage girls, and for a moment, that was exactly how Dabi felt; like an every-day teenage girl doing teenage girl things and having teenage girl fun with a teenage girl her own age.

That all changed in the split second that it took for a heavy-set man to grab Kate and shove Dabi to one side.

Dabi recognized him and saw red when she saw the flash of metal; a gun. Dropping her bags, she reached for a colorful metal cane that was on the back of an elderly woman's chair at an outdoor café, and swung.

Kate screamed, stabbing frantically at her watch, the man yelled in pain, and the fight was on.

Dabi didn't remember too much after that point. What she did remember was feeling someone gently placing their hand on her shoulder and pulling her back. She blinked, and the fog cleared. She looked down at the man, whom she had the cane pressed against his throat, down on his knees, with her knee in his back. The man was gagging from the pressure on his throat.

"_Looks like I won again,_" she thought hazily.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Move wrong and I swear I'll fucking kill you," Dabi hissed. She looked up to see Pride, Brody, and Chris, and about three other police officers surrounding them, weapons out and aimed at them. "And if I don't, they will." She looked at Pride. "Is he covered?"

"He's covered," Pride assured her.

She let go of the man and moved towards a café table, sitting down heavily. She watched as the man was surrounded and cuffed. "I think his gun is under one of the tables," she said to Pride. "I remember seeing it go flying."

"I want her charged with assault," the man growled.

"Go for it," said Chris, smiling coldly, watching as officers retrieved the weapon and took statements from witnesses. "But I'll have you know, everyone here knows you just got your ass kicked by a deaf nineteen year-old girl. And by the end of the day, the whole town's gonna know too. I'm even seeing a few cell phones around. YouTube; it's a wonderful thing."

The man blanched at the thought.

"You're under arrest for attempted kidnapping and the murder of Seaman Ryan Adders," said Pride. He glanced at the police officers and said, "Get him out of here."

"Gladly," said one officer.

Someone quietly placed a drink in front of Dabi and the smell told her it contained alcohol.

"I'm not legally old enough to drink," she said to whomever it was that had given her the drink.

The man, wearing a bartending apron, just smiled and shook his head. "I'm not asking for i.d. Besides, after the way you just kicked that guy's ass, I think you've earned it." He grinned even wider. "And thanks to you, you just made me a whole wad of cash." He walked away chortling, and Pride, Brody, Chris, and Kate joined her.

Dabi held up the cane and asked, "Who did I swipe this from?"

Kate kindly gave it back to the elderly woman who was still looking at Dabi with wide eyes from a nearby table. "May I have your autograph?" she asked Dabi when she got the cane back. "No one in Florida is going to believe me when they hear about this!"

Chuckling tiredly, Dabi signed a paper napkin for the woman and, abet reluctantly, posed for a picture with her.

"Be careful out there," she told the elderly woman, who gave her a hug before walking away.

"What happened?" Pride asked Kate and Dabi.

"Dabi and I were just doing our own thing and that guy grabbed me and shoved a gun in my ribs," said Kate. "He's one of Jake's enforcers and I screamed. Dabi nailed him with the cane and basically beat the crap out of him."

"I remember seeing the guy grab Kate and I remember him from the photos you guys showed me and I remember getting mad, but after grabbing the cane and going after him, everything's kind of a fog up until I had the cane against his throat," said Dabi. She rubbed her arms. "I hate that. I could have killed him. Would have been so easy."

"Yes, you could have, but you stopped," said Brody. "Why?"

"It's like I could feel someone putting their hand on my shoulder, and it pulls me out," she admitted. "I don't want to kill again, King. I've done it before and I didn't enjoy it."

"I know. I read the reports, and from what I gathered, it was kill or be killed," said Pride. "You did what you had to and then you got the hell out."

As tears started sliding down Dabi's face, Kate put her arms around her. "You saved my life and you gave that guy a beat-down he won't forget any time soon. You saved Sara's life and she's as innocent as they come, and one day she's gonna know that and she's gonna know she's loved and someone cared enough to try and defend her."

"And the missing moments?" Dabi asked.

"I've done it. I'm sure your dad's done it, and I'm sure plenty of other people have done it too," said Pride. "It's our brain's way of protecting itself. We shut down the conscious part, the part that hesitates, and we go on instinct. As for that hand on your shoulder, you ever wonder if maybe that's your grandfather or your mother reminding you?"

"Where did your grandpa die?" Kate asked.

"In the main bakery office, where my office is these days," Dabi admitted.

"And you stopped, in the bakery," said Pride. "I'm not much of a believer in spirits, but I'm betting that was your grandfather."

"And just now?" Dabi asked.

"This is New Orleans," Chris reminded her. "You know yourself it has plenty of haunted spots, especially after Hurricane Katrina."

"Actually," said a man joining them, "this area is said to be where a cop died during Hurricane Katrina. He was trying to help a bunch of people and got trapped in a mess and drowned."

"You knew him?" Pride asked, studying the man. He had white hair, tanned skin, and a dignified build that suggested he was used to wearing a uniform.

"Not directly, but a lot of guys on the force know the story," the man said. "A bunch of people have reported seeing a guy in a uniform hanging around and then disappearing. From what you've just said, pretty lady, I'm willing to bet that was him."

"But why?" Dabi asked.

"To remind you, maybe to help you," said the man. "I'm a retired police officer. I was there when Hurricane Katrina hit and I gotta admit, some of our guys, they got desperate and did stupid things. But for every cop that did something stupid, like run, those that stayed, we did our best to help, like Officer Jones, as we like to call him." He leaned forward, studying Dabi. "You're a fighter. You take care of the ones you care about, and that tells me you've got a good heart. Darlin', you've done what we've all had to do. It ain't easy to live with, especially when we've been forced to take a life, but we've done it. The fact that you stopped, that you haven't done it again even though it would be very easy to do, that tells me you have a conscious and that you care but you're willing to do what needs to be done. In my eyes, sweetheart, that makes you a hero."

"I don't want to do this anymore," Dabi admitted. "I just want to run my bakery, maybe have some fun once in a while, and stay the hell out of trouble for a bit."

"I'm sure your dad would like that too," said Chris, grinning.

Dabi groaned. "He is so gonna kill me when he finds out about this."

"We'll redact the report as much as we can," Brody promised.

"What about the one Director Vance reads?" Dabi asked.

"That could be a problem," Pride admitted.

"NOPD could give her a medal of valor," the man offered. "Might work in her favor. After all, you did save someone's life several times, from the sounds of it."

"This is my dad we're talking about," said Dabi.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Gibbs, have you heard from Dabi lately?" Vance quietly asked.

"Yeah. She said she'd made a new friend and would be home soon," said Gibbs, looking at his boss suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I just got a report from New Orleans and apparently Dabi managed to get herself involved in a murder investigation..." Vance explained as they headed for his office.

A moment later Tony, Tim, and Ellie jumped.

"_What do you mean she went undercover to catch a killer?!_" Gibbs was heard yelling.

Tim groaned, Ellie's eyes went wide, and Tony reached for the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Ellie asked curiously.

"Dwayne Pride. We'd better get the whole story, fast, or we're all going to suffer," said Tony.

"Because when it comes to the boss, if he's not happy, no one is happy, especially if it involves Dabi and the kind of stunt it sounds like she's pulled," said Tim.

"Tony DiNozzo here, King. Gibbs is yelling. Yup, Vance just told him. What happened? We heard Gibbs yelling something about Dabi going undercover to catch a killer?" Tony asked sweetly. He listened for a few minutes, his face going pale. "I thought she went to New Orleans to stay out of trouble! Right; she's a Gibbs and wherever a Gibbs goes, trouble is sure to follow. Thank you. Now I know I need to get out my combat helmet and flak vest for a few days." He hung up.

"How bad?" Tim asked.

"Pride is sending me a copy of the report," said Tony. "But the short of the long is it involves a murdered Navy sailor, a teenage prostitute, and a prostitution ring the New Orleans PD was investigating. Oh, and the prostitute is now Dabi's new buddy and in Witness Protection and heading our way under a new name. And Dabi helped."

"I can't wait to read that report," said Tim sourly.

A moment later, Gibbs appeared and stormed towards the elevators. No one dared to say a word. When Gibbs vanished into the elevator, Tim picked up the phone.

"I'd better warn Abby," he said.

"And Ducky," said Ellie, picking up her phone.

"And when Dabi gets back, she'd better explain herself," Tony groused.

Four days later, Dabi came home with a kitty carrier and a new friend. Formerly Kate Hart, now Anna Fowler, the five foot six brunette teenager would stay with Dabi for a day or two, until she could get settled in to a new job. Dabi had a lead on that, one that guaranteed Kate/Anna would never have to go back to her old ways and could learn a valuable skill that might help her achieve her own dream of one day owning her own bakery, just like Dabi.

As for Patches, she would be carefully checked out then, as soon as she was old enough, she would be spayed. Anna had fussed over the kitten during the whole flight.

_Back in New Orleans:_

Chris sat down, then suddenly bolted out of his chair, yelling in pain. He landed on the floor in a rather undignified heap, where he sat for a minute, rubbing his backside and silently swearing.

"What happened to you?" Brody asked curiously, trying not to laugh.

"Looks like my chair got shocked," Chris grumbled.

"You okay there?" Pride asked.

"I'll live, but I'm not sure what hurts more; my dignity or my ass," Chris said, getting up off the floor.

"I did see Dabi poking around your desk before she left," Brody admitted.

"And DiNozzo said he had his fair share of horror stories with regards to Dabi and her pranks," said Pride. "Seems the shocking chair is one of them."

"How do I deactivate it?" Chris asked. "I don't feel like getting a shock every time I try to sit down and it takes forever just to get a new chair broken in."

"Check under your chair for a small battery pack," said Pride.

Chris did and removed the small nine volt battery, placing it on his desk. Then he sat down cautiously in his chair and when it didn't shock him, he smiled in relief. Then he picked up his pen and clicked it.

Two minutes later:

"I have a score to settle with that kid," Chris groused, looking under his coffee cup and scowling. Underneath were the words "_I'm a Douche_". He had also gotten shocked by the pen, startled by the exploding snakes, and Brody had nearly choked on her drink when she'd seen the bottom of his mug.

"Oh, um, I think I saw Dabi doing something to your spare house key," Brody admitted.

Chris' eyes went wide and he dove for his spare house key, kept in the top drawer of his desk. Pulling it out, he saw traces of white putty on it and a nasty thought came to his head. Swearing vengeance against a certain red-head girl, he tore out of the office, heading for his apartment.

Brody just looked at Pride and grinned.

"What did she do?" Pride asked.

"Absolutely nothing," said Brody. "She said that the best joke of all is the one that never came, to quote a certain M.A.S.H doctor. He's going to tear his apartment looking for a prank she never pulled."

"He's going to strangle her the next time he sees her," said Pride. "I'll warn Gibbs."

_Washington, D.C._

After his conversation with Vance, Gibbs had not been happy with Dabi, but once he read the full report, he had calmed down, reasoning that Dabi was not known for saying 'no' when it came to helping her friends.

Jake Ambrose would be brought to justice, along with his two partners-in-crime. The one that had tried to grab Anna, he was being charged with assault and attempted kidnapping and Pride was sure the D.A. would have plenty more charges to tack on before long.

As for the prostitution ring, Pride had added a note that the undercover that Dabi and Chris had met was continuing to provide inside information and the NOPD was sure they'd be bringing that particular ring down soon.

Then Gibbs read the letter of commendation from the NOPD and saw that Dabi was being awarded a Medal of Courage for her actions in successfully defending a citizen of New Orleans against a member of a prostitution ring. Tony would later swear his boss' chest swelled to twice the usual size.

As for Anna, Dabi got her a job with an Italian bakery. The owners were an Italian couple, Emmanuel and Marta Bianchi, who had immigrated to the states as children, and shared a love of baking that had been passed down through their respective families.

The couple were friendly rivals of Kranz Bakery and Dabi knew they had an empty loft above the bakery.

When Dabi spoke to them about Anna and explained the situation, they agreed to her deal.

"The deal is I pay half of Anna's wages for three months," said Dabi, later that day. She was seated next to her father's desk, enjoying her coffee. "After three months, if they think she's fitting in and doing well, they take over the wages completely. If she screws up and goes back to her old ways, she's out completely. As for Patches, it seems they're having a bit of a mouse problem anyway."

"What did Anna say?" Gibbs asked.

"She's just ecstatic to have a real place of her own and a real job that doesn't involve sexual favors," said Dabi.

"Good. Now, mind explaining the diamond ring on your hand?" Gibbs asked.

Dabi smirked, flashing the three-stone ring at him. "It belonged to Leo's gram. We haven't set a date yet, but it's a promise for one day. Seems she got on his case about it while I was away and even gave him the ring. She wants grandbabies and thinks I'd be just perfect for that particular role."

"What did Leo say about that?" Gibbs asked, holding Dabi's hand long enough to examine the ring. It was a nice ring, with one large stone and two smaller stones set on either side of the larger stone. It was set in a nice gold band that had a worn look to it, suggesting it was as old as Dabi and Leo were suggesting it was.

"Said babies were in the picture, but it would happen when we were both ready and right now, we were both making sure any of our children actually had a shot at a good future," said Dabi. "I happen to agree at this point in time."

"Good to know."

"Good to have something to hold on to, though," she admitted. "Especially after that business with Eric."

"True. Have you been able to come to terms with what happened?"

She gave a small smile. "That side of me, it's part of me, but I control it, not the other way around. I killed that guy because I had to, not because I wanted to. I can't guarantee it won't happen again, but I can do my damndest to make sure it doesn't. I'm a fighter, Dad; I always have been. I just know how to do it better now, especially when it comes to protecting the ones I care about."

"That's the best part."

Then she grinned. "But I might need protection from Chris LaSalle if he ever comes to Washington. After what I did to his desk and what he's gonna think I did to his home..."

"I know. I got the call from Pride just after you left New Orleans."

"How loud?"

"Seems LaSalle knows some pretty colorful cuss words, and they're all aimed at you."

Dabi grinned even wider.

The End... for now...


End file.
